Hiscox Insurance Review

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The Hiscox Insurance Company Inc offers business insurance tailored to your specific business needs. A leading specialist insurer helping the courageous overcome the impossible through business insurance.

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Our Partner

Small Business Insurance

AT A GLANCE

  • Fast and affordable coverage
  • Customized policies
  • Multiple coverage options
  • Reputable company
Overall Rating
4.5/5

Most affordable small business insurance

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Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Ability to file a claim online 24/7
  • Has an ‘A’ rating from A.M. Best
  • Transparent about claims process and pricing
  • 14-day money back guarantee

Cons

  • Not all products are end-to-end service
  • Coverage not available in Alaska

Signing up for business insurance through a company like Hiscox is crucial if you have any sort of a business.  It’s not only for large corporations — think micro-businesses with one or two employees, you haven’t made any hires, or freelancers working from home.

Business insurance is important in case of things happening beyond your control (it sucks, but sometimes people like to sue) and you’ll want to make sure you and your assets are protected.

The wonderful and equally confusing thing is that there are many types of insurance for your business and for all types of industries.

Considering that Hiscox is a huge financial institution and one of the largest business insurance suppliers out there — it can protect businesses with 12 different kinds and is licensed in 49 states (including the District of Columbia and except Alaska). 

Not to worry if you’re unsure of where to start — keep reading where we’ll give you an overview of Hiscox, types of small business insurance and what can be a good fit for you. 

Hiscox icon

Quick Summary

Offering: Small Business Insurance

Fees: Depends on policy

Promotion: No current promos

What is Hiscox Insurance?

Hiscox is a commercial insurance company that’s been around for over 100 years.  Although it offers many types of business insurance, their small business unit focuses on companies that have up to 10 employees.

Except for Alaska, if you reside in the U.S. you can find some form of coverage.  If you’re worried about whether they’re reputable, don’t.

That’s because AM Best, a global credit firm has given Hiscox an ‘A’ rating, which is a national credit rating company focusing on insurance companies

Features

  • Get insurance online —  business owners can get a quote and purchase a policy online, saving time.
  • Go with a broker — You can also purchase Hiscox insurance through a broker or independent agent. Meaning, if you want to speak to someone and get something more customized, you can do so.
  • Worldwide coverage — As long as your claim is filed in the U.S., Canada or a U.S. territory, you’ll receive worldwide coverage.
  • Available in most states — You can get general liability in D.C. and in 39 states, and other types of insurance can vary depending on where you reside. 
  • Money back guarantee — If no claims or losses have occurred, you can get a 14-day money back guarantee.
  • Choices in how to pay premiums — You can pay premiums in monthly installments or up front.
  • File claims online —  You can do so 24/7, including phone, email or mail.
  • Various coverage options — there are different types of policies for various industries.

Types of Insurance Hiscox Offers

There are more than 12 kinds of business insurance products through Hiscox, throughout a varying range of industries.

Here are the main types of insurance Hiscox offers:

General Liability Insurance

General liability insurance is basic insurance — you’ll be covered against property injury, bodily injury and personal injury claims against your company.

This is typically the one type of business insurance policy small business get. That’s because in many cases, before signing a contract or to take out a business loan you’ll need to show proof of general liability insurance.

With Hiscox insurance company, you’ll also get electronic data liability included — not many insurers do this. Hiscox’s policy also includes seasonal and temporary employees on top of full-time employees.

If there’s a claim against your business, Hiscox will pay you interest on any damages awarded in court plus up to $250 each day the case takes you away from your business. 

Professional Liability Insurance

Another one of their most popular insurance products, professional liability insures you against any claims against negligence from your professional services — helpful for people like consultants and IT professionals.

Basically, anyone representing your company (including staff and independent contractors) is protected, even for services conducted overseas. 

Business Owner’s Policy

This is what’s known as a package policy that has both commercial property insurance (more on this below) and general liability insurance.

A business owner’s policy is usually less expensive than purchasing each type separately. If you opt for this policy, you can consider customizing add ons depending on the nature of your business. 

Commercial Property Insurance

Commercial property insurance protects your brick and mortar property against certain kinds of accidental damage, theft, loss and vandalism.

Basic coverage includes up to $10,000 for portable property, $140,000 for electronic data loss, $10,000 towards equipment,$2,500 for personal effects and up to a year’s worth of loss of income if the damage to your property prevents you from running your company. 

Hiscox’s policy is based on replacement cost — you’ll be paid to replace damaged equipment (no deductions for depreciation).

Cyber Security Insurance

If you want to protect your data (especially if it's considered a crucial asset to your business), then you’ll want to think about getting a cyber security insurance policy.

This is especially so if you need to store sensitive data such as credit card information. With this policy, Hiscox will cover the costs to recover lost data and any that's associated with your data breach.

Commercial Auto Insurance

Commercial auto insurance might make sense if your company vehicle or you and your team drive for business regularly.

You can choose hired and non-owned auto liability coverage — it covers use personal vehicles by you and your team and rental cars. 

Workers Compensation Insurance

This is different from general liability insurance in that it protects you against the cost of paying for medical expenses of injured workers.

Though there are many places where you can purchase workers compensation, Hiscox, as a private insurer, tends to be quicker at handling claims and can cost less. 

Medical Malpractice Insurance

You might think of medical malpractice insurance as being something that's reserved for large healthcare providers - but that isn't always the case.

A significant number of small boutiques, beauty businesses, and even therapists now offer procedures that would fall under the 'medical' category - at least if something didn't go to plan and someone brought a suit against you.

If you're offering any kind of therapy (whether it's a talking therapy or a hands-on treatment) it's worth having a conversation about whether medical malpractice insurance could be relevant.

How to File a Claim

It’s natural to never want to file a claim even if you’re well protected with business insurance. The good news is that if you need to, it’s fairly painless with Hiscox. 

First, their claims center is available 24/7 (you can also make a claim via phone, mail or email). You can also ask your agent or broker file a claim on your behalf.

Make sure you have some form of documentation of your claim (which can include images of property damage).  After submitting your claim, within one business day you’ll receive a reference number from Hiscox.

Then a claims professional from Hiscox will be assigned to your case the next business day.  This person will then contact you about next steps and address any questions you may have, plus work with you to gather any necessary information and check your coverage.

You should be able to get a final decision with 10 to 20 business days after you filed your claim. 

What Is Liability Insurance for Small Businesses? 

Business liability insurance is also referred to as commercial insurance or general liability insurance.  If you take out a policy, it protects you against your business in the event that someone outside your company files a claim against you (typically for negligence).

In other words, someone or a company wants to sue you.  Think about it: if someone where to sue you, do you have the money to pay for an attorney to right a potentially expensive lawsuit?

What if the case drags on?  Worse yet, what if you’re found responsible and how have to pay up?  That’s where small business liability insurance comes in.

If you can qualify for a claim, your insurance policy will cover the cost of legal fees and any potential financial damages you’ll need to pay, up to certain limits.

Basically, you’re protecting your business from financial ruin if there’s been a claim filed against your company.

How Much Does Hiscox Cost?

Because Hiscox is such a large company, it has to cover more overhead costs compared to smaller firms.  However, can offer lower rates because it is such a large company compared to other boutique agencies.  

With Hiscox, you’ll be able to see pretty clearly how much your policy can cost — it’s pretty transparent with their rates, even going as far as publishing sample quotes. 

Some example rates:

  • General liability - an average of $360 per year
  • Professional liability - an average of $270 per year
  • Business owner’s policy - an average of $480 to $780 per year

Of course, you’ll need to get a quote from Hiscox to get a more accurate example based on your business needs — this includes factors such as your claims history, the size of your business, and what you’re trying to insure.

It’s easy to get an online quote by proving a few pieces of information about your business.

Who Hiscox Insurance is a Good Fit For?

As you already know, Hiscox insurance offers a wide range of insurance products that have comprehensive coverage. Plus it offers a relatively user-friendly purchase and claims process.

It’s clear on their website that Hiscox is aimed towards small businesses who want to be covered based on the needs of their industry.

Hiscox doesn’t want its customers to think that their insurance products are a general, one-size-fits-all type deal even though it’s a large company.

Depending on your profession and industry, it could add different coverages for things like their professional liability policies — you’ll most likely get coverage you will need.

If you’re pretty savvy online and hate doing business admin, Hiscox luckily makes it pretty easy to shop for a business insurance policy.

You have a few options — do it online or through a broker/agent. Sadly, if you’re in Alaska you’ll have to look at other companies, but for the most part you can get coverage through Hiscox if you reside in a different region.

What’s great is that depending on your business cash flow, you can pay for your premium monthly or at once — neither option will cost more than another.

Plus, Hiscox offers a 14-day money back guarantee so if you’re not totally satisfied (assuming you haven’t filed a claim) then you can get your money back. 

Again, as a busy business owner, you may not have a ton of time to do some of the necessary admin work.  The good news is that you can modify your business insurance policy online.

Plus you can file a claim online 24/7.  The Hiscox website is user-friendly and customer service representatives are helpful if you have any issues. 

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Is Hiscox Insurance Right For You?

As one of the largest insurance companies out there, it’s an organization that has been around for a while and it doesn’t show signs of going away any time soon.

Since launching in 1901, Hiscox has kept up with customer demand, changing with the industry and offering products to match businesses’ needs.

The company even has a dedicated small business resource center - with press releases and a fantastic blog chock full of small business advice and information.

Plus, it offers convenience and decent prices, which should have business owners singing praises.  Even if you don’t go with Hiscox Ltd, it’s free to get a quote from them.

That way you can see what’s covered and how much it’ll cost.  If you’re ready to sign on the dotted line, you can purchase and manage it online.

It doesn’t hurt to head to their website and see what there’s to offer.

Hiscox

Hiscox Insurance offers business insurance tailored to your specific business needs. Helping the courageous overcome the impossible through business insurance.

Hiscox icon

I'm a Fintech, personal finance, investing, alternative investments, credit, small business, careers, loans, money mindset, retirement and debt writer.

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